--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The twenty-seven books of the New…" description: "\"“The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were all written within two generations of the time of Jesus--in other words, by the end of the first cent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png" --- # The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were all… ![“The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were all written within two generations of the time of Jesus--in other words, by the end of the first century at the latest--though most scholars would put most of them earlier than that.” quote by N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png) > ““The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were all written within two generations of the time of Jesus--in other words, by the end of the first century at the latest--though most scholars would put most of them earlier than that.”” [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The New Testament books were composed within a short span after Jesus, indicating early authorship and close historical context. **In simple terms:** Early Christian texts were written quickly after Jesus. Key Takeaway Recognize the rapid formation of early Christian canon. Themes history religion authorship Mood analytical thoughtful Type historical scholarly When to use this quote - Theology studies - historical research - faith education Key Concepts Early Christianity canon formation Questions to Reflect On - How does early dating influence theological interpretation? - What evidence supports early authorship? A Different Perspective Some argue later revisions may affect dating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [End Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-century/) [New testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-testament/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Scholars Earlier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholars-earlier-4115854/) [Testament Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testament-written-1301249/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Written Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-generations-1527347/) ## Related quotes > [History is always best written generations after the event, when clouded fact and memory have all fused into what can be accepted as truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-white/history-is-always-best-written-generations-after-the-event-when/) [Theodore White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-white/) > [“The writings which make up the New Testament were none of them written to be a primary and sufficient source of information as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hughes/the-writings-which-make-up-the-new-testament-were-none-of-them/) [Philip Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hughes/) > [“Had it been the object or the intention of Jesus Christ to establish a new religion, he would undoubtedly have written the system himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/had-it-been-the-object-or-the-intention-of-jesus-christ-to-establish/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The New Testament was not written by historians with the critical spirit of a Thucydides or a Polybius, but by men moved by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-perry/the-new-testament-was-not-written-by-historians-with-the-critical/) [Marvin Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-perry/) > [“No follower of Christ knew the shape of the earth. For many centuries this great Peasant of Palestine has been worshiped as God. Millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/no-follower-of-christ-knew-the-shape-of-the-earth-for-many-centuries/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [“The catch is that for most people the New Testament is taken as proof for the conventional picture of Christian origins, and the conventional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-l-mack/the-catch-is-that-for-most-people-the-new-testament-is-taken-as-proof/) [Burton L. Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-l-mack/) > [For eighteen hundred years, though perchance I have no right to say it, the New Testament has been written; yet where is the legislator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/for-eighteen-hundred-years-though-perchance-i-have-no-right-to-say-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The earliest books in the New Testament to be written were the Epistles, not the Gospels. It's almost as though Saint Paul and others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-earliest-books-in-the-new-testament-to-be-written-were-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Some have said, “The miracles, signs, and wonders of the book of Acts were temporary. They served to authenticate the apostles until such time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cymbala/some-have-said-the-miracles-signs-and-wonders-of-the-book-of-acts/) [Jim Cymbala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cymbala/) > [If we believe terrorists are past redemption, we should just rip up like 1/2 the New Testament because it was written by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/if-we-believe-terrorists-are-past-redemption-we-should-just-rip-up/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [“The New Testament insists, in book after book, that when Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross, something happened as a result of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-new-testament-insists-in-book-after-book-that-when-jesus-of/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“In the New Testament it is clear: because of Christ and the Spirit, every single Christian is welcome at any time to come before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/in-the-new-testament-it-is-clear-because-of-christ-and-the-spirit/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [ “\[Christians\] must become, must be known as, the people who don't hold grudges, who don't sulk. We must be the people who know how… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/christians-must-become-must-be-known-as-the-people-who-don-t-hold/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The New Testament says the Word became flesh. Sacramental theology is all about discovering, in fear and trembling, how to allow that Word to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-new-testament-says-the-word-became-flesh-sacramental-theology-is/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The personal message of Good Friday, expressed in so many hymns and prayers which draw on the tradition of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-personal-message-of-good-friday-expressed-in-so-many-hymns-and/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More by N.T. Wright > [“This means that the church, the followers of Jesus Christ, live in the bright interval between Easter and the final great consummation. Let's make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-that-the-church-the-followers-of-jesus-christ-live-in-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The very mention of crucifixion was taboo in polite Roman circles, since it was the lowest form of capital punishment, reserved for slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-very-mention-of-crucifixion-was-taboo-in-polite-roman-circles/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Sunday, kept as a commemoration of Easter ever since that event itself (a quite remarkable phenomenon when you come to think about it), is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/sunday-kept-as-a-commemoration-of-easter-ever-since-that-event-itself/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The point of trying to understand the cross better is not so that we can congratulate ourselves for having solved an intellectual crossword puzzle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-point-of-trying-to-understand-the-cross-better-is-not-so-that-we/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“there is no such thing as a god’s-eye view (by which would be meant a Deist god’s-eye view) available to human beings, a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-god-s-eye-view-by-which-would-be-meant-a/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The “goal” is not “heaven,” but a renewed human vocation within God’s renewed creation. This is what every biblical book from Genesis on is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-goal-is-not-heaven-but-a-renewed-human-vocation-within-god-s/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“having a hard enough time explaining to his disciples that he had to die; they never really grasped that at all, and they certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/having-a-hard-enough-time-explaining-to-his-disciples-that-he-had-to/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“If we are talking about the victory over evil and the launch of new creation, it won’t make much sense unless we are working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/if-we-are-talking-about-the-victory-over-evil-and-the-launch-of-new/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The personal message of Good Friday, expressed in so many hymns and prayers which draw on the tradition of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-personal-message-of-good-friday-expressed-in-so-many-hymns-and/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“To recognize that the Psalms call us to pray and sing at the intersections of the times--of our time and God's time, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/to-recognize-that-the-psalms-call-us-to-pray-and-sing-at-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Successful resistance to temptation may result in an increase of moral muscle, but that is because one is going to need it. A temptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/successful-resistance-to-temptation-may-result-in-an-increase-of/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours” (Matt. 5:3) doesn’t mean, “You will go to heaven when you die.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/blessings-on-the-poor-in-spirit-the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-yours-matt-5/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“As C. S. Lewis regularly remarked, the chronological snobbery of the modern age (i.e. the assumption that anything that comes after around 1750 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/as-c-s-lewis-regularly-remarked-the-chronological-snobbery-of-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The kingdom of God is, at its heart, about God’s sovereignty sweeping the world with love and power, so that human beings, each made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-kingdom-of-god-is-at-its-heart-about-god-s-sovereignty-sweeping/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“pre-Christian Judaism, including the disciples during Jesus’s lifetime, never envisaged the death of the Messiah. That is why they never thought of his resurrection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/pre-christian-judaism-including-the-disciples-during-jesus-s-lifetime/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) [Explore all 278 N.T. Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were all written within two generations of the time of Jesus--in other words, by the end of the first century at the latest--though most scholars would put most of them earlier than that.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "N.T. Wright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testament-were-all-written-within/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testament-were-all-written-within/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/n-t-wright-1173_books_the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testam_2899543.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were all written within two generations of the time of Jesus--in…” — N.T. Wright", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "N.T. Wright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The twenty-seven books of the New...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testament-were-all-written-within/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testament-were-all-written-within/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```